Unlocking the Mystery of Life - Intelligent Design

Unlocking the Mystery of Life(UMOL) a 58-minute science program exploring what DNA reveals about the origin of life documents how scientists are abandoning naturalistic explanations for the origin of genetic information and looking to theories of design for answers.

In almost every scientific discipline there is new found evidence that supports the theory of intelligent design. For instance, in molecular biology, the presence of information encoded along the DNA molecule has suggested the activity of a prior designing intelligence and UMOL showcases the progress design scientists are making in this field.

To date UMOL has aired in every top 20 market in the country including PBS stations in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington state and Washington, DC.

UMOL follows the efforts of contemporary scientists who are advancing a powerful, but controversial, idea — the scientific theory of “intelligent design. A growing number of scientists around the world no longer believe that natural selection or chemistry, alone, can explain the origins of life. Instead, they think that the microscopic world of the cell provides evidence of purpose and design in nature — a theory based upon compelling biochemical evidence.

The story begins with a landmark meeting of design theorists assembled by UC Berkeley Law Professor Phillip Johnson in Pajaro Dunes California in 1993. The documentary then follows the development of the intelligent design movement through insightful interviews with key design scientists Paul Nelson, Stephen Meyer, Dean Kenyon, Michael Behe, William Dembski, Jonathan Wells, Jed Macosko and Scott Minnich.

The interviews are brought to life with state-of-the-art computer animation and microscopic photography of living systems. The viewer is transported into the interior of the living cell to explore systems and machines that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of design. Rotary motors that spin at 100,000rpm. A biological information processing system more powerful than any computer network. And, a thread-like molecule that stores instructions to build the essential components of every living organism on earth. Amazing animation footage of the bacterial flagellum provides the viewer with a detailed tour of “the most efficient machine in the universe.”